Glacier collapse in the Himalayas: more than 390 dead and around 1,500 missing

An ice and rock collapse in the Himalayas on the border between Nepal and Chinese Tibet triggered a catastrophic flood: authorities in the two countries report more than 390 deaths and approximately 1,500 people missing. Hundreds of foreign tourists are among those missing.

It all began on the morning of August 26, when a mass of ice and rock slid down the northern slope in the Langtang area and crashed into the Lhende River, approximately 20 km northeast of the Rasuwagadhi border crossing. The US Geological Survey initially recorded the event as a magnitude 4.4 earthquake, but later clarified that it was the seismic energy of the collapse itself, followed by a massive debris flow.

Nepal has confirmed 389 deaths, while three people died in Tibet’s Gyirong County. Nepal’s Department of Tourism reported that contact had been lost with 668 tourists from 34 countries, most of whom were on trekking routes: 177 from India, 90 from the United States, 34 from Australia, 33 from the United Kingdom and 25 from Canada. In Gyirong, 558 people are reported missing, including 260 foreigners.

More than 5,000 military personnel and police officers have been involved in the search. Helicopters are dropping tents, food and medicine into isolated valleys: roads and bridges have been destroyed, and it is currently impossible to reach the area by land. The Nepal Army reported rescuing 350 people trapped in the Upper Trishuli hydropower plant tunnel.

The flood affected 15 hydropower plants and knocked out around 431 MW of generating capacity. The UN allocated $2 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), the United States provided $500,000 and a disaster response adviser, and Australia announced $3.6 million in aid.

The figures are still changing: some of those missing may be in isolated villages without communications, while search efforts are progressing slowly. In addition, Nepalese authorities are warning about a new lake that has formed at the site of the collapse: its level is rising, and a breach of the temporary dam could trigger a second wave of flooding.